Google recalls Fitbit Ionic for causing burns and offers full refund

Google’s Fitbit brand is recalling 1.7 million smartwatches after dozens of reports of burns from wearable fitness devices. Apparently, the battery in the watch can overheat and burn the user’s wrist. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reports that Fitbit has received 174 overheating battery reports worldwide, with “78 reports of burns in the United States, including two reports of third-degree burns and four reports of second-degree burns.”

here is the official FAQ

Fitbit was a pioneer in fitness devices, but the advent of smartwatches like the Apple Watch has put disposable fitness devices at risk. In 2016, Fitbit decided to buy smartwatch company Pebble. A year later, Fitbit’s first smartwatch, the Ionic, arrived. The device was sold from September 2017 to December 2021, although production was stopped in 2020. With Google’s acquisition of Fitbit in 2021, the “Fitbit OS”line of devices like the Ionic, Versa, and Versa 2 are most likely dead.

Update: Fitbit sent out a statement:

Customer safety is always a top priority for Fitbit, and as a precaution, we are conducting a voluntary recall of Fitbit Ionic smartwatches. We have received very limited injury reports – the total in the CPSC ad is less than 0.01% of units sold – of battery overheating in Fitbit Ionic smartwatches, posing a burn hazard. These incidents are very rare and this voluntary recall does not affect other smartwatches or Fitbit trackers.